Idle No More

Boarded, arrested, impounded, sabotaged and finally shelled from the sea -- the Canadian Boat to Gaza and Gaza's Ark have not given up. Amid the hot-war conflicts today, peace activists are still at work, bringing attention to people who seek liberty and self-determination.

Don't

When she was just 12 years old, my daughter Severn gave a speech at the 1992 UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. She spoke with such conviction that delegates were moved to tears. It was one of my proudest moments as a father. More than 20 years later, Severn is the mother of two young children, and the video of her speech is still making the rounds, inspiring people around the world. Its popularity speaks to the power the young have to affect the world's most pressing issues.

Prime Minister Harper's Conservative government has introduced Bill C-51 The Anti-Terrorism Act, 2015, which it claims is needed to protect Canadians from terrorism. Experts and commentators have called the bill, which will create a secret police force for Harper: terrifying, illegal, unconstitutional, dictatorial and totalitarianism. In case you don't know what totalitarianism means, it's a term usually reserved for fascist (extremist or dictatorial) leaders that lead a centralist government that does not tolerate differences of opinion and tries to exercise dictatorial control over many aspects of public and private life -- including thought. Voila: Bill C-51.

There was much honour held this year for International Saami Day, which is celebrated on February 6 when the Saami Congress declared the day in 1992.

For example, in the municipality of Karasjok – the site of Norway’s Saami Parliament – there is a celebration of community every year.

This is not without controversy, though, as some refer to it as Saami’s People’s Day and others as National Saami Day, implying that Sapmi is an Indigenous nation within the state borders of Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia – essentially encompassing the most North of North regions of these states. Other Saami live in Alaska and areas south in North America.

The Saami were colonized by these states European states as their borders were overrun by settlers.

The residents of the city of Winnipeg -- estimated at 633,450 according to the 2006 census, but obviously much higher now -- are currently under a boil water advisory since Tuesday January 27, 2015.

(Perhaps the contamination is from all the racists peeing in the communal water supply, since the city has just been handed the infamous distinction of being Canada-s most racist city? -- just saying)

The fear for Winnipeg citizens is that their city-s water supply had been contaminated after six of the 39 water samples taken and tested Monday January 26, 2015, were found positive for coliform bacteria. Escherichia coli (better known as "E. coli") is a form of this bacteria.

Canada's Conservative government is set to introduce expanded powers for surveillance agencies, likely for the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC) and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).

The big issue at stake here is the concept that Indigenous communities have been bored, ineffective and thus idle for 600 years. Some Indigenous and legal scholars claim the "Idle" part to be a reflection of how mainstream societies saw Indigenous Canadians as dirty, lazy and having no pride left in their bones to defend themselves. But it could just be that academics in America are devoid of Indigenous guidance.

On Sunday November 30, 2014, hundreds of activists gathered at Dundas Square in downtown Toronto before occupying the intersection of Dundas Avenue and Yonge Street for roughly an hour.

Burnaby police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have arrested more than seventy people who are attempting to stop Kinder Morgan from drilling to install the Trans Mountain tarsands pipeline.

Toronto actvists stood in solidarity with the Musqueam, Tseil-Watuth, Squamish, Tahltan First Nations and the residents of Burnaby.

The pipeline is set to travel through Burnaby Mountain Conservation Park; through unceeded territory.

Mayor of Burnaby went on record to support the protestors saying "This is going to be war".